Pick Your Poison
by DaniofLocksley
Summary: In Hogwarts there were two kinds of people, the ones who loved the Marauders and the ones who hated them. Me? I could have cared less. It was 1977, Voldemort's forces were getting stronger every day, and the Eagles had come out with a new song.
1. The Ever Indifferent Skye

In Hogwarts there were two kinds of people, just as in the world (according to the Ministry of Magic) there were two kinds. In the world you had wizards and you had muggles, in Hogwarts you had the people who loved the Marauders, and the ones who hated them.

Unfortunately neither is completely right of course; you'll always have the people on the fringes of society, the random cults that sporadically spring up that you seldom hear about. After all there are Squibs in the world, and there are people like me in Hogwarts who could really care less about the Marauders and their antics and devoted followers who worshiped them.

I'd been in the same house as them since we'd all entered the school, and now as seventh year began I still could've cared less about them. Don't get me wrong I liked when we got out of class early for one of their pranks or when the Slytherins sometimes got what was coming to them, but it didn't matter much to me. It was 1977, Voldemort's forces were getting stronger every day, and the Eagles had come out with a song for me to completely drool over (Hotel California actually) so you could excuse me for my lack of interest. Until I saw him that is, there's always an 'until' in the stories of people, and this was one big until, it changed my entire school year and the rest of my life, and in a way I didn't expect.

"Lily Evans if you don't get out of the shower this very instant I'll give Potter something of yours to add to that shrine I'm sure he keeps in his dorm!", I shout through the bathroom door to this year's head girl, one of my dorm mates, who also happened to be a bathroom hog. There weren't a whole lot of Gryffindor seventh years girls in our dorm, they'd split it into two rooms of eight and lucky me had ended up with Lily who took a good hour at the least to get ready.

"Mellow out Sky, I'll just be a second.", I hear from within the shower steam filled den that is our group bathroom.

Head shaking I turn and walk over to my bed to get my shower stuff from my trunk. It's the first day back so there's no rush anyways but I'd like to go hang out with Cor and Frank. Frank has a few new records for me and that was all that was on my mind right now. Anything electrical wouldn't work near the school but luckily I'd gotten a player that ran on a spell I'd learned years ago to save my trio of friends from music deprivation.

"Alright I'm out now, any plans of giving Potter my knickers can be forgotten now. Does all this look okay?", Lily asks as she struts from the bathroom with a billow of steam left over from her shower behind her. I was shocked she actually had to ask, she was one of the most loved girls in our year, she could go to class in a banana suit and people would say she was a vision. Flaming mid-back hair that was pin straight, two inches taller than my sad 5'3, and the object of James Potter's affections, it was no wonder she was a Gryffindor favorite.

"Yes you're lovely, but why'd you roll up the skirt? Those uniforms are bloody short enough as it is on me, then again skirts make me feel naked so whatever.", I reply and head off to take my long awaited shower.

It was a quick one because of how starving I was after the train ride and my hopelessly thick hair had to be dried with magic. Looking over my reflection I did an assessment of myself for the first day back. My sun bleached blonde hair was longer, and wavier if that were even possible, now well down my back, eyes were still grey and in my opinion a bit dull, I'd grown an inch and was no longer deathly white as I had been. Not a bad change for one summer of riding around the country in my mum's beat up van.

Satisfied after some make-up application I ran out the door fixing my tie as I made my way through the common room out the Fat Lady's portrait, down the stairs and to the Great Hall. Walking in on your own was always unnerving, there were so many people and the size of the room was daunting, making you feel rather small in comparison. Fortunate enough for me Coriander and Frank were near to the doors of the hall at our table on the left once you entered. Grinning I ran over and squished between the two of them, glad to be back in my normal habitat again.

"Music news please, mum wouldn't let me listen to anything all summer, she's still convinced record player's ruin the 'harmony of nature'. I'm on the brink of death hear.", I automatically direct at Frank, who has the best vinyl collection of anyone I know and knows I'm not over exaggerating when it comes to my mum whose mind is still stuck in a hippy commune state. He didn't have that issue but Coriander's parents had been the same once, which left us with some doozy of a names. Skyla Willow Ophelia Guinevere Olwyn Emerson, was my full name, Cor's was far longer and much more difficult to pronounce, we'd long since given up trying to.

" Some Pink Floyd, the song 'Walk This Way' on a 48', and my new personal favorite, 'Slow Ride', which I think you'd probably be interested in. I still have your collection it's in my trunk up in the dorm, and before you ask no, none of them got messed up.", he finishes and goes back to shoving talking to Alice who is beside him, he absolutely adores Alice and has done for a few years now.

Cor had been watching our yearly record talk and if I guessed correctly by the demented smile that was on her pixie like face it was that time of year again. I was right, which just goes to show I know these two far better than is natural.

"We need to form an idea on who we are interested in this year, scope while the first years are being sorted and tell me before we go to bed as usual okay?", she gets out before the chatter dies down and the first , first year of 1977 goes up to the stool to be sorted into their house. (Ravenclaw)

I wasn't paying attention to any of that of course, I only had up until tonight to decide who I was 'interested' in as Cor had put it. It was our tradition, we said the name of whoever it was at the same time on the first day back so that neither of us ended up arguing over someone. If you did by some chance have the same it was only the first day and could easily be remedied, it made things easier for the two of us since first year when we both liked Frank for some strange unknown reason.

Trying not to be shallow I thought of guys I'd spoken with before and found interesting. It wasn't Diggory from Raveclaw any more ,I had learned he was far too full of himself by now. My line of vision moved up the table to where the Marauders were, we'd never had one of us decide on one of them. James was off-limits although he had lovely black hair, Peter was cuddly reminding you of a teddy bear but not my type. Sirius was beautiful, but probably carried some form of genital disease by now if the rumors were to be believed about his womanizing, which left Lupin who always appeared to be dreaming with his mind far off on something else. He was rather attractive actually, but the group just didn't hold my attention enough and I moved on to Mathew Bones. By the end of the dinner I still hadn't decided, although I could sense Cor had known since we stepped foot in the Great Hall that night.

"You guys go ahead I think I'll just head to the library for a bit.", I tell them as we're leaving and make of in the opposite direction of them, partially buying myself thinking time, but also in search of a new book, preferably on history. I might even see Sev there.

Severus and I were friends since we had both shared the same library table for years. I had never agreed with his crowd but our corner table was safe ground. We mostly talked about books or music and not his Voldemort loving creeper friends. He was rather fond of discussing Lily as well although they no longer spoke to each other. Both of us agreed history was an excellent subject, Sev said if it weren't for potions he might have pursued a carrier in it.

On the quiet walk through the deserted halls leading up to the library I thought of how this coming war everyone spoke of in hushed tones had completely changed my plans for becoming a historian for the Ministry of Magic as I told Sev was my dream job. I may as well assume now that all able people around my age would be drafted into fighting somehow, may as well practice and become an auror now. Maybe after all the idiocy over blood purity and Voldemort's lust for power was said and done I could retire from it and become a historian as I'd wanted to.

"Don't step there!", came a voice I hadn't heard before from the foot of the stairs I'd been halfway down that lead to the library entrance. Pausing mid-step I realized I had almost stepped on a trick stair and fell because of how lost in thoughts I was.

Avoiding it I went the rest of the way to the bottom where the person who'd luckily warned me stood. It was Lupin, which explains why I didn't recognize the voice, he was rather shy and I never heard him speak before. He was carrying quite a load of books, one of them happening to be my favorite on the French Revolution and the wizard politics involved in it.

"Thanks for that I was a bit out of it, it probably wouldn't have went so well. Nice book by the way, you enjoy reading about the revolution?", I smiled to the sandy haired boy in front of me.

His expression was so bashful until I mentioned the book, which made his eyes spark with interest at that. "It's my favorite on the subject actually I got it so I could read it again."

At that I think my ovaries exploded, it was the first time anyone had ever shown an interest in the Revolution as I did. You could sign me up amongst the common majority in one of the many fan clubs dedicated to the Marauders; I knew whose name I was telling Cor tonight.

Chapter 2:

"So what's this sudden interest in one of the Marauders?", Cor whispers despite the fact that we'd _muffliato'ed_ everyone, while we sat cross legged on my bed with the violently red curtains drawn, so they couldn't hear our yearly discussion. Which was just as well because Cor's version of whispering was a far cry from it.

"I don't know, he intrigued me I guess, could just be the whole 'saved me from breaking something' thing. It's just a minor interest but maybe I'll explore into it some more, and don't you dare get that perverted look on your face.", I grinned poking my best friend who did indeed have her mind in the gutter face on full force. We were both terrible about that, but she was decidedly worse from time to time.

"Hey I didn't say anything but if that's what you were thinking I mean there must be something to it."


	2. Penguin Love

_With a sharp breath I pull myself out of the pensive to look around and check the time. It's still late at night, couldn't even be twelve yet but he's snoring away. We hadn't promised not to watch our memories once more, it had simply been more or less understood that it would only make him upset to see them over. I on the other hand had to, for one last time; relive what we'd all gone through to reach this point in time. Tomorrow could be our last day, who knew? The wars were starting again, he was back, and here we were cramped in this cell of a house. It was driving me mad pacing around the way tigers do in their cages, knowing she was out there and I couldn't protect her. I turn to check once more if his breathing is even, telling me he's asleep, before I plunge down into the memories we've left for her._

"How many times a year do penguins do it?", I hear someone ask from the seat beside me, shocking me out of my doze and stopping me from falling face first into my oatmeal. Half of me was grateful but the other half wanted to throttle the person next to me once I saw who it was, seeing as they had successfully kept me up until the crack of dawn with their chattering.

It was Cor naturally, and this wasn't an unusual morning greeting from her either. I think I would be more worried if she'd come in and said a typical salutation, it usually meant she was feeling down and I should be prepared to punch someone's face in (it's happened on occasion). Normally I'd be amused by her daily, usually sexual orientated, odd question of the day. Unfortunately for her she had kept me up the entire night before discussing Alexander Wood, her latest and greatest object of affection. He wasn't so bad, I'd actually half fancied him once so I was pretty happy for her, but that didn't change the fact that I was going to fall asleep in double Transfiguration this morning

"Well how many do you think?" she asks impatiently.

I was too busy planning her demise via a prank to really care but my sarcastic "Enlighten me" was enough to set her off in explanation.

"Well you'd figure they'd be at it all the time; if only for the reason that it's bloody freezing up there and they have to need some warmth. Plus I mean what is there to do besides hunt for fish? They only do it once a year though, I guess if you suck the first time you get no redo's.", she grins and waggles her eyebrows at me before grabbing at the toast pile and jam jar.

The girl next to me, Aria, who was in our year dating Xenophilius Lovegood looked up sharply from her dazed dreaming at this, "I think I may be dating a penguin." Poor dear was absolutely horror struck at the thought you could tell by her facial expression, a mix of disgust and realization.

Plans of pranking my pervert of a best friend disappeared as we both glanced to one another and promptly burst out in peals of laughter, clutching our sides with all we had. It wasn't much of a shock from Xeno, it had to be hard for his somewhat loopy girlfriend, she didn't strike me as the once a year type. I had actually managed to fall off my place on the bench and drag Cor with me thinking of him even attempting to do it, he was just too Xeno. Him being remotely sexual was borderline ridiculous; it was almost too hard to imagine him snogging at most. Aria was staring down amused at our forms wallowing on the floor in tears, before she threw the bacon she'd been holding at us, and turned back to the table to save her dignity. We'd given her a lot of grief when they had first started dating; she had to know she'd never hear the end of this one. We were still in a heap of hysterics when none other than the Marauders breezed into the hall.

My face was an interesting shade of scarlet, the laughs wouldn't stop no matter how I tried, and I was half on top of my best friend in a rather awkward position when Lupin waved over beaming at the sight we made. It didn't worry me too much even if it was embarrassing, with the way girls got hexed around here he'd seen worse before.

Resituating myself at the table I hauled Cor up as best I could and started to search the crowd at the entrance for Frank. Our schedules were about to come out and I wanted to make sure we still had classes together. He was there with Alice of course, stuttering out something or another to her, becoming increasingly agitated. Whoa was that guy having trouble with what he was saying, I could almost see him shaking from where I sat.

Rolling her eyes Alice does the boldest thing I think I've seen that girl do, she reaches up, throws her arms around him and plants one on him right there where anyone entering would have perfect front row seats. She disentangles herself moments later to trip over to her friends, leaving a dazed Frank behind to sleepwalk to our place at the table. You'd of thought he'd just learned he owned Honeydukes by the way he acted, his face was in the most comical expression I'd ever seen, his brown eyes were shining and staring off into space.

With a sigh quite unlike him he plops beside me propping his chin on his hand. "I take it you finally asked her then? It looked like a yes to me in any case." Cor grins.

Frank just sighs again and nods a bit before going into dreamland once more, probably envisioning Alice babies and whatever else goes on in a teenage guy's mind that I didn't want to know. McGonagall materializes soon after as I'm forcing food into Frank's mouth so he'll remember to eat and then pounding his back because the genius forgot to chew. Our schedules are around the same except Frank being an overachiever had an extra class of Ancient Runes instead of a free period like Cor and I.

"What's first for today then? Plus when are we going to meet with the records today, I'm dying an excruciating death by lack of music here." I ask to neither of them in particular.

"We can just go to the guys dorm after classes for that oh mighty impatient one, and as for classes..", he breaks off as one Mr. Lupin walks our way from his place with the Marauders with his small half smile in place.

They don't notice their friend get up, or at least Sirius and James don't as they're engaged in an all out verbal war of some sort. Peter though noted it, eyes following Remus until he reached my part of the table and sat down across from me. It gave me the creeps how observant Peter was; he was terribly nice besides never getting recognition for his part in keeping the group together, but I had this uneasy feeling that it would get him in trouble one day.

"What classes do you have this year?" Remus asks from his place across from me without a hint of being timid, maybe he was more courageous than he appeared. I hadn't thought him the type to approach conversation first with people he'd only just met the night before while their foot was being suctioned into the depths of a Hogwarts stairwell.

"Let's compare the schedules and see for ourselves", I say trying to come up with something to say aside from the boring hum drum. Be clever you ruddy useless brain, this is a good time to get the gears going, any time now, no? I knew it. Forsaken by my own brain, it's a crying shame.

We had most classes together except he'd taken astronomy instead of divination, and had opted out of care of magical creatures while I'd decided to continue it. Surprisingly he hadn't taken Ancient Runes as I'd figured he would, "Have you ever seen what it looks like? It's martian speak I swear, if ever I want to speak with aliens I'll stick to clicks and hand gestures thanks." he'd laughed at my amazement.

We had just been about to launch into a debate over whether or not Jane Austen was a worthwhile writer, when his fellow Marauders decided to realize their friend was conversing with a female. They didn't need any more of an opening to antagonize him, James wolf whistled saying something about "Releasing his inner wolf instincts." whatever that meant, while Sirius winked and got a scary smirk on his face.

Calmly rolling his eyes at his friend's antics a somewhat embarrassed Remus moves his oddly honey light brown eyes back to my own. I'd been tracing the barely noticeable scars on his face while he had his guard down for once, not bothered by them so much as curious, and dropped my gaze when he turned back.

"Ignore my friends; they revert back to cavemen instinct when it comes to girls. I'm waiting for the day James drops the strutting and preening then moves onto clubbing Lily upside the head and dragging her away to his man cave honestly.", before he walks off back in their direction with mild annoyance showing towards them.

It was odd to think that in an alternate world I could have been part of their group of Marauders, after all my dad is close friends with his. That had ended in disaster long ago when we were five; it involved him lying, me not being able to control my five year old magic, and his pants catching on fire after I yelled "Liar liar pants on fire!" Needless to say I hadn't returned to the Potter home after that incident though they would forever invite me back over only for me to decline afraid of a repeat, in my defense it wasn't my fault he was the one who lied. I rarely visited dad in suburban hell though so I didn't have to worry about them much, I spent most of my time in mum's ever travelling van after their separation.

Shaking my head at what could have possibly happened I snap back into Cor's continuously running conversation as she makes eyes at Wood from across the hall. No one could ever accuse her of being discreet about what she felt that was for sure.

Frank was still in a daze when we decided it was time to get to class, normally we would have dragged him off with us but Alice was headed over so instead I simply said "Me and Cor are going to go make furious love in a remote broom closet alright lovey?"

He just nodded and grinned a little, humming a tune to himself. "He's hopeless; let's leave him to his lover to move before McGonagall has us cleaning the Great Hall with a toothbrush for being late."

I nodding walking off with her toward the West Wing, shuddering at the idea knowing how many people were in there daily messing up the floors. With the thought of how many people were in there I also came an idea of how to get back at Cor for the trouble I was bound to get into next lesson, and positively marveled at the genius of it.


	3. Tight Pants

**Why do people put disclaimers when it's a fanfic site? Uhm so yup here's the story since my power is out and I'm forced to stop reading. Thank you to my reviewer! :D How is it some of my favorite authors find me? **

Five. That's how many times my darling best friend had to poke me so that I would stay awake for Transfiguration, and it was just the first class. She failed to wake me the sixth time of course which lead to McGonagall's bony hand rapping on my desk waking me up, rather loudly I might add. Unfortunately for us both I respond to being woken up the way a rather large grizzly bear deals with you stealing its honey, which is to say terribly.

Long story short I accidently called her a wretched old hag and something about removing a stick from her nether region that I cringe to think of. My one saving grace was that Frank threw his hand over my mouth before I said anything about her obvious need of a sex life. Needless to say I now had detention (much to the Marauder's and everyone else in the class laughing at my misfortunes glee), and my plot of revenge upon Cor was inevitable. I'd taken the time to test it during the day between my half sleep stupors, during Potions with old Sluggy, again during our last and current class of the day, Charms. She said the same comment every time, I really did know her far too well, then again she should have devised more interesting sayings for her repertoire.

"Skyla are you paying the bloodiest bit of attention to me?", the very person I was just conniving against snaps impatiently, thrusting me from my stupor.

Shifting my head off my hand where it had rested with a roll of my eyes I turn to Cor with a pleasant smile, "Yes of course I am absolutely enthralled with you, you beautiful pixie, marry me? You have to admit our children would be sexy little buggers…though I can't say much for their mental capacity."

Cor's answer is the same as always, sticks her tongue out and goes back to trying to shrink her book using the spell we'd just learned as we were supposed to and chattering. I can't say how many times I've proposed we make children, probably up there with how many times Potter asked Lily out, I wasn't the most creative with come backs at times, which was okay since Cor wasn't either.

"You know we would have some 'sexy buggers' as you put it, but then again I'd hate to ruin the self confidence of other children who met them, though it isn't our, well my fault that I have amazing genes. I haven't the faintest what your genes would do except help them pass history off magic..", ah my friend, anyone else would think this was verbal abuse, from Cor though it was just tough love.

That and blasphemous lies as my genes would be the best thing since the Beatles for the bastard lucky enough to get them. Okay maybe I over exaggerate, they would be likely to make the kid a socially awkward penguin like myself. What was our obsession with penguins anyways?

"Damn straight those kids would take over rule of the free world, though it would be my contribution to them that helped that. Ugh lovey would you please make my book shrink I'm going to pass out."

Cor smirked in that particularly evil Cor way that said not-even-if-you-were-a-tutu-wearing-hippogriff-serendaing-Sirius-with-Cher. Yes she could convey all that with a stare, never underestimate Cor. I loved her, but whatever happened now was her own blasted fault.

"Eugh! Cor did you just seriously lick my arm?", I groan from my spot at the dinner table that night.

She only smirked, making me wonder how in the world all these people in Hogwarts had learned to make their face do that. It was their default setting, and I don't think my face muscles are capable of creating a smirk. With this in mind I try a smirk of my own, licking my hand and smacking it to Cor's forehead in retaliation.

"Never for the love of humanity, make that face again, I thought you were in some form of physical pain it was that awful.", Cor yet again pulls off an infuriatingly superb smirk, wiping the spit from our five year old moment off her face as though it didn't gross her out the way I knew it had to.

"Hey Frank are you back in the real world yet or should I send Cor into that alternate universe of Alice that you're currently in to pull your sorry arse back?", he was staring off into space with his elbow in the mashed potatoes I'd placed on in his plate in the hopes of him eating it, swaying slightly. If you listened close enough I swear the poor romantic sod was humming to himself.

He didn't answer, which prompted Cor to smack him upside the back of the head as Alice made her way over to sit beside him. Thank goodness, the second she sat down he snapped out of it, going back to normal Frank. I thought we would have to resort to drastic measures, besotted or not my record collection was in his stuff and I needed him lucid to find it in all his junk.

With a glance around at the Great Hall I grinned, it was full and now it was time to put my plan in action. , "Say Cor you watch any of that silly American sport again this summer? I don't get your obsession with it honestly."

She took the bait, just as I knew she would, the ever reliable Cor bless her, "Yes I did actually and as I've said previously on the subject," at this point I whispered a spell directing my wand at her under the table, "I LIKE BIG MEN IN TIGHT PANTS."

That's the ticket, now my revenge was complete. I'd collapsed into a laughing fit with Frank snapping out of his love haze to join me along with the rest of the Great Hall. In my state I couldn't take the spell off of an increasingly red Cor who was currently looking at me with a death stare.

"YOU LITTLE, COME HERE YOU'RE ABOUT TO JOIN MOANING MYRTLE IN HER BATHROOM STALL!", she was yelling various obscenities but before she could chase me around the Great Hall McGonagall stepped in. I received the detentions I knew I would, but now Cor was joining me for one of them thanks to her foul mouth.

She got over the embarrassment quick enough after thwacking me on the head and returning to eating, but the guys around us were making rather interesting remarks all involving tight pants. Interestingly enough Wood was certainly looking over at her in interest, so my stunt benefited the both of us I'd say.

**Yeah crap ending I know but I didn't realize I had most of this already written and was just being a bum about posting it so tada! Please do review and tell me your thoughts.**


End file.
